How Do I Apply for an Appraisal License?

For you to be a certified appraiser, you must apply and be given an appraisal license from the relevant appraisal body in your state. The process of applying for an appraisal license is quite comprehensive though not difficult at all. It begins with getting the requisite educational requirements, gaining experience then going through a test before the appraisal license can be issued. The specific requirements will most certainly vary from one state to another, but below is a brief of what you can expect when you want to apply for an appraisal license-:

Education requirements

When it comes to the educational requirements for the purposes of appraisal licensing, the specific requirements will be determined by the type of appraisal license you need. Generally, you will be required to take approved courses by the relevant real estate appraisal commission or an equivalent body in your state.

After that, you may then have to proceed further and attend the license-specific courses, depending on the type of license you need. The various licenses include, registered trainee, state certified appraisal license, state certified residential appraisal license, and state certified general appraisal license.

Experience Required

The following are the experience requirements for appraisal licensing for the various levels-:

• Registered Trainee – there is no experience needed to register as a trainee for certification purposes, however, an appraiser assistant must register with the relevant appraisal commission and work under a supervising appraiser for a specified period of time.
• State licensed appraiser – must gain at least 2,000 hours of experience spread within a span of 24 months. The experience must in accordance with the requirements of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
• State Certified Residential Appraiser – 2,500 of practice gained over a minimum period of 24 months. The experience must also be in accordance with the requirements of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.
• State Certified General Appraiser – 3,000 of experience, including 1,500 hours of non residential experience gained over a minimum period of two and a half years.

Testing

Tests for appraisal licenses are administered by the relevant state real estate appraisal commission. The tests basically are electronic exams where the applicants will have immediate feedback on whether or not they got the required scores for licensing. Applicants have up to four opportunities to pass the exams and if one fails all the four attempts, they will have to submit a new application.

Licensing

After successful completion of the exam, the applicant will send to the commission the original test scores from the testing center, then pay the required fees for the licensure. The commission will then evaluate the application and award the necessary appraisal license with they are satisfied that the application is in order and the applicant can then be licensed to practice as an appraiser.